Are there bathrooms on the Inca Trail?

Of course. Along the way there are many opportunities to stop at a facility when nature calls. When you first begin the trek, the bathroom facilities are managed by locals and you need to pay to use them. A sole will grant you entry and the bathrooms are generally clean.

By the time you leave lunch the first day, you will notice the bathroom conditions start to deteriorate. You will no longer need to pay for the facility, but you will have to deal with piles of dirty tissue. The later in the day you use the facility, the worse the condition will be.

All the toilets are squatters and you are not allowed to flush any paper – which is fine since they rarely offer you any paper – make sure to have some on you. There are often bins in the bathroom that you are meant to leave your dirty paper in. Bathrooms are not regularly cleaned and the paper quickly builds up. Once full, people start throwing the tissue anywhere on the ground, where it ends up piling around where you are meant to have your feet.

These photos aren’t meant to scare you – just prepare you as they are the normal state as they are used throughout the day.

These bathrooms will eventually be cleaned…by a person who has to deal with this mess. They use only gloves and a hose to get this in better shape for the next day. No mask, no utensils to help…they are cleaned by hand and hose by a someone who works for the park.

The Alpaca Expeditions Solution…portable, private Toilet Tents

This is why we have chosen to include our environmentally friendly, and porter approved, private toilet tents on all Inca Trail expeditions. They are set up at every campsite (breakfast, lunch, dinner and all through the night) by our team and used by only our clients. Toilet paper is always provided and they include a western style seat…no squatting needed.

Who maintains the Alpaca Expeditions Toilet?

Our porters do…but always prepared with proper tools: Facemask, clean uniform and thick gloves. He/She will also never come in contact with the waste which is stored below and disposed of appropriately.